Like a dinner date with a friend, this lasted 3 ½ hours, there was lots of talking and I tuned out much of it.

Speaking of, I'm glad I speak French because if I'd had to read the subtitles of this gab-fest for 3½ hours, it would've done me in.

You could tell it was a classic French film because it was directed and performed more like a play than a movie.

I'm anti sexist with all the vehemence of someone who was ignorantly sexist in his youth, so was relieved to see they avoided the sexist traps that filled this story from 1973. On top of that, I appreciated how the nativité and obsession reminded me of me in my 20s.

When it comes right down to it, I enjoyed The Mother and the Whore more than I'd expected. While it's a clichéd French art film (and maybe the origin of the clichés?) with its black and white nudity chain smoking blah blah, I found its analysis of relationships more intriguing than I would've thought.